The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1887-08-24

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you are liable to eat it. Why, do you
know that twenty-five per cent of the
beef furnished the Boston market from
the West is tuberculosed beef? 1t is.
These steers are worth thirty or forty
dollars apiece, and l tell you we are
poor in Maine and can't afford to bury
too many of these thirty-dollar bills"
The =" brockle-faced steer was killed
by the commissioners and on the lungs
being exposed every particle of the
lung tissue was found to be filled with
the tubercular deposits, and attached to
the paroted gland under the throat
near the lower jaw was an abscess as
large as mans fist and filled with
putrid matter; the lungs were found in
some parts to be broken down and
filled with pus. The " roam was then
killed and found to be in worse con-
dition than the other, though he was
in better flesh, being good beef"
The examination showed the lungs to
contain several assesses holding pint
of matter each, and when opened it
fairly spurted out with sufficient force
to throw the matter a foot or more
almost perpendicular. This" said
DIR. Bailey, as he was operating, " is
contagious form, and this steer would
communicate the disease to every ami
NAL in the state of Maine if allowed to
run with them" Not only were the
lungs badly broken down, but the joints
of the legs plainly showed the disease,
being swollen and overlaid with small
putrid sacs full of pus. 1t was one of the
worst cases of the disease ever seen in
Maine. DIR. Williamson Dryden of
Boston, an English veterinary surgeon
and for seven years the inspector of
the Allan and Cunard lines of steam
ers, was present, and confirmed DIR.
Bailey's conclusions.
In letter to the Maine Farmer Mr..
Libby writes as follows: " The lesson
to be learned so far with the Hamilton
cattle is to watch your animals and on
discovering any coughing or other
symptoms of consumption, garget,
scrofula or cancerous affections to weed
them out, isolate them from other stock
and try and cure them. If such animals
fatten readily and very fast, showing
vigor and health, although coughing
slightly, or having swelled throat or
caked bag, have them slaughtered and
inspected, and if declared by compe-
tent experts to be healthy meat it should
be sold; otherwise, buried. l made
this proposition to the cattle commits
sioners-to ship this band of cattle to
Brighton in car alone, and have them
slaughtered under the eye of Mr.. Bry-
den, the veterinarian called from Mas
sachusetts to inspect these animals,
and have them inspected for the further
education of our farmers, which was
not agreed to. They concluded to kill
the steer with the scrofula bunch under
his throat, and also very nice fat steer
that coughed some, the result of which
l have only seen in the papers, as | was
unable to remain at the killing. One
fact remains: two steers more have
been buried at the states expense,
worth and appraised at $50, and an eX-
peuse incurred that must amount in all
to 5000. Another fact is demonstrated:
that other breeds than Jerseys have
some diseases. The balance of the
Hamilton cattle remain in quarantine
and probably will be killed at the states
expense. We wish all our farmers who
can would visit these cattle and see
whether they look like poison animals.
1t is necessary to learn all we can
about the diseases of our animals; and
one fact was demonstrated at this eX-
amination-that temperature is no indi-
cation of this disease, as this entire
herd were all of the same temperature,
sick and we'll"
1t seems that Mr.. Libby did not stay
to see the animals killed and their con-
dition shown by examination, so we
are not informed whether he would
consider such animals suitable for
human food. We are free to say we do
not want such meat, nor would we
knowingly offer it to any one else.
There have been attempts made in
Maine and in Vermont to ridicule the
action of the commissioners in both
states, and the whole matter stigmatized
as scare gotten up by interested
parties for personal benefits. Persons
who would pursue such a course in
view of the condition of the animals
brought to light in this last investiga-
ton would show themselves careless
of the best interests of the people of
the state and reckless of the public
health and human life. In cases of
such importance there is small danger
of being too cautious. Better an hun
dred herds slaughtered than that one